11. Alina

A Shifter Fae.

The term rolls around in my head as I study Flame's profile, his long eyelashes fluttering as he blinks.

Flame, Orcus, and Reaper.

They haven't actually confirmed their names or even really introduced themselves to me. But I've gathered their names through their conversations with each other.

Flame's currently talking to Orcus about the room, saying it's clean.

I'm not sure why this is such an important discussion. The cleanliness of the suite rivals that of the entire city, which is all very pristine to me. But apparently Orcus has strong sanitation values.

Fae, I think, studying him now. His sturdy jawline. Long, dark hair tied at the back of his nape. Strong shoulders. Chiseled cheekbones. Muscular forearms.

He lost his jacket at some point, leaving him in just a T-shirt, jeans, and boots.

Flame is similarly dressed, only his shirt is long-sleeved.

And Reaper is still sporting that sleeveless shirt, his tattoos on full display as they writhe along his arms. He seems particularly agitated, his long legs eating up the marbled floor of the kitchen as he paces back and forth near the dining area.

"It's possible their bugs are undetectable," Flame says, drawing my attention back to his conversation with Orcus. "But I'm not picking anything up on the scanner." He hands a small chip to Orcus as he says that, causing my eyes to follow the movement.

"You guys are pretty serious about sanitation," I muse aloud. "You'd hate my village."

Orcus frowns. "What?"

I shrug. "It's full of bugs and dirt."

He stares at me for a long moment, like he's struggling to understand my words.

"They're talking about listening devices," a voice says by my ear, making me jump. I glance back into a pair of hypnotic silver-blue eyes.

Reaper.

A second ago, he was pacing beside the dining table.

Now, he's right behind me, his lips curled into a smirk.

Fae,I tell myself again. A very fast fae. But not a Shifter Fae like Flame. "What kind of fae are you?" I blurt out, alarmed and impressed by his speed.

"A Death Fae," he tells me. "Or, in human terms, the Grim Reaper."

My brow furrows. "The Grim Reaper?" I've never heard that term before.

"They probably don't know that name in this realm," Flame says as he lounges in the chair beside me. "The Grim Reaper is like an angel of death in our Human Realm."

"Basically, I escort souls to the afterlife," Reaper adds. "Which is why my kind is often associated with the Grim Reaper. However, Death Fae actually focus on dark souls and devour their essences rather than take them to wherever their souls would otherwise go."

"Oh." My nose scrunches as I ponder everything he's said. "What are dark souls?" He's mentioned that term a few times, once in reference to Timothy and again when talking to that Emissary about food.

"Those who have committed heinous acts," he replies, his gaze turning distant as he starts pacing again.

"All souls begin white and innocent, but each sinful deed colors the aura," Orcus says, his tone soft. "The darker the soul, the worse their transgressions."

"So your kind eats the souls of bad people?" I ask slowly, piecing it all together.

Orcus smiles. "My kind? No. But yes, that's basically what Death Fae do. Only, Reaper also likes hunting dark souls in the flesh and introducing them to their fates earlier than expected."

"Before they can do anything worse and hurt more innocents," Reaper growls.

Orcus and Flame both glance at him, their expressions exuding an understanding that I don't quite grasp.

There must be a story here, I realize. A reason Reaper hunts dark souls while they're still alive.

I shiver.

I don't think I'm quite ready to hear whatever reason accompanies that need.

"I'm a Mythos Fae," Orcus says, drawing my attention back to him. "Not a Death Fae."

"I see." I glance between him and Flame and the still-pacing Reaper. "And what's a Mythos Fae?"

"A God," Flame drawls. "Or a Goddess. At least as far as human conception goes."

"And most other fae," Reaper mutters as he pauses midstep, his gaze drifting toward the foyer. A low growl fills the air, the sound emanating from his chest.

Then a buzzing noise echoes through the room, causing him to disappear and reappear by the door.

My eyes widen in response to seeing him move. Because that was definitely not human.

However, it wasn't very monster-like either.

Fae, I remind myself. They're… fae.

And not all that scary.

Well, maybe a little deadly. Especially Reaper. Except he opens the door with a wide grin and joyfully shouts, "Pizza!"

Flame rolls his eyes.

Orcus just shakes his head.

And the guy in the doorway clears his throat. "Uh, yes. It was ordered by Mr. Flame?"

"Mr. Flame?" Reaper repeats before glancing at the Shifter Fae. "Is that your new superhero name?"

Flame snorts. "Only if we're calling you Grim Reaper going forward."

Reaper no longer looks amused. "No."

"Pity," Flame drawls.

Orcus sighs audibly and stands. "Here. I'll take that." He moves toward the guy holding a huge tray and plucks it from his grasp with a murmured "Thank you."

The tray no longer looks big now that Orcus is holding it. He's dwarfed it entirely, and yet the contents fill the entire table as the various plates are distributed among the four place settings.

Flame picks up my empty glass—he poured me a water when we first entered the kitchen and dining area, saying it would help my throat. He was right.

He refills the contents and brings it back to me, then grabs the seat across from me with Orcus beside him.

Reaper reclaims the chair next to me and scoffs at my plate. "Chicken and broccoli?"

"And mashed potatoes," Flame says.

"Why?" Reaper asks, sounding offended. "We're in New York City. Pizza is obviously the requirement for everyone, and yet…" He glares at the hunk of meat in front of Orcus. "Filet mignon and"—he shifts his focus to Flame—"is that salmon?"

Flame merely smiles. "Not all of us have your refined tastes, Reaper."

"Clearly," the Death Fae grumbles before flipping open a box to reveal some sort of thin cheesy pie.

Pizza, I think, somewhat intrigued.

He grabs a slice and folds it before shoving a corner into his mouth.

My eyebrow lifts a bit at the display, primarily because I've never seen an adult eat with his hands before. That's usually something a child would do.

Reaper's silver-blue irises meet mine as he chews and swallows, his silvery eyebrow inching upward in response to my silent observation. "Want a bite?" he asks.

I blink at him. "I, um, no. I… I've just never seen food like that before."

"You've never seen a pizza?" He looks alarmed. Then he shoves my untouched plate into the middle of the table before rotating his chair toward me. "Open your mouth."

"What?"

"You heard me. Open your mouth."

"Reaper," Orcus says, a warning in his tone.

"Stay out of this, Alpha. This is between me and our pet." His intense focus goes to my mouth. "Now part those pretty lips for me, and I promise you'll be rewarded."

I have no idea what to do. No one has ever spoken to me like this.

What is he going to do? I wonder as my mouth obeys his command. Why am I allowing this?

Because I'm curious.

Because I… I kind of like this.

It's a startling realization, one that has my lips parting even more.

"Such a good girl," Reaper whispers before tearing off a small piece of his pizza and setting it on my tongue. "Now enjoy your reward and don't forget to swallow."

Something about his tone feels sensual. Or maybe it's his words. I can't quite determine the cause, but my skin heats a little in response.

Then my mouth explodes with flavors, making me forget all about his words.

Oh my monsters…

I've never tasted anything like this. So savory. So rich. So greasy.

I… I'm not sure if I like it, love it, or hate it. It's just so different. Exquisite yet nauseating. Flavorful and too much at the same time.

It's only a small bite, but I savor it, my mind struggling to decide how I feel about this creation.

Only for the moment to end too soon as I automatically swallow.

Reaper stares at me expectantly. "Well? What do you think?"

I swallow again, the cheese a bit thicker than I realized. "I…" I clear my throat. "I don't know."

His eyebrows shoot upward. "You don't know?"

I grimace. "It's… it's flavorful?" I state lamely.

He snorts. "Flavorful, she says." He flashes a look at Orcus and Flame that I don't quite understand. It's too quick for me to even guess because in the next instant, he's focused on me once more. "That's fine. When we go to Chicago, we'll try pizza again and you can tell me what you think then."

I gape at him. "Chicago?"

"Yes. You mentioned wanting to find it, right? I assume that means you want to go?" He takes another bite of his pizza while he waits for me to reply.

But Orcus interjects before I can even attempt to puzzle through a response. "Reaper." It's just one word—the Death Fae's name—but it's enough to scatter goose bumps down my arms.

Because he uttered it with a growl.

Something inside me squirms in response, his dominance a palpable presence that leaves me unsettled.

"What?" Reaper demands, his eyes locking with the other man's. "She mentioned needing to find Chicago, presumably to go there. We're obviously going to take her, yeah?"

"Our only plans right now are to meet with this Monster City Queen and satisfy this realm's political protocols," Orcus replies, that growl still rumbling through his words.

But Reaper appears to be unfazed, because he simply snorts. "Right. Political bullshit aside, Alina's an Omega."

Orcus remains silent, his gaze narrowing slightly.

What's an Omega?I wonder. Orcus mentioned it before as well, but I have no idea what it actually means.

"Look, all I'm saying is, if our pet wants to visit Chicago, then Chicago is on our agenda. Ergo, it's fair game for discussion." He picks up his pizza to take another bite, completely uncaring of the tic that seems to have formed in Orcus's jaw.

Flame clears his throat. "How about we focus on our meal for now? Alina needs to eat. Then I'm sure she would like to shower off all that hairspray and makeup. We can discuss further plans after she's properly cared for."

He gently nudges my plate back toward me and gives me a soft smile before returning to his own food.

Reaper and Orcus say nothing.

Meanwhile, my stomach growls, and I realize I don't have much of a choice here. I need to eat, just like Flame said.

So I do.

But with each bite, I keep marveling over Reaper's comments regarding Chicago.

He wants to help me find Chicago? Why would he do that? Do I want that?

Up until a few hours ago, the thought of monsters terrified me.

However, these guys weren't very monstrous.

Well, maybe Orcus is, I think, taking in his size again. But he doesn't scare me.

No, his growls do something else entirely.

I shiver and shovel more food into my mouth. I barely taste it, my body working on autopilot.

This is crazy.

They're fae.

What am I even doing here?

What if they can help me find Chicago? Can I trust them?

I barely know them.

But they've been nice so far…

I grab my water and take several gulps, the thoughts making me dizzy. Just take this one minute at a time, I tell myself. Finish eating. Then… then… "A shower would be good," I blurt out, recalling Flame's words. "Can I do that now?"

Because I would love to get out of this dress. It's too tight for me to eat much more anyway.

And my hair… Ugh.

Not to mention all the paint on my face.

Yeah, a shower sounds beautiful right now. Even if it's too hot or too cold. I just want to feel like me again.

That'll help me get my head on straight. Bring back my ability to focus. Reset my goals and desires.

Yes.

A shower.

Right now, please.